Chapter 212 The Master of the Principality

"Mr. Colin!"

At Baron Gus's manor, Luo Yan, who was drinking tea, had just seen off the resentful Baroness when the owner of the manor rushed over in a hurry.

"What happened again, Mr. Gus?" Although he had roughly guessed what happened, Luo Yan still asked.

As expected.

As the face full of surprise rushed into the tea room, the noisy voices also came in.

"Good news, great news! Your company's stock price has risen again, hahaha! And it has increased 20 times in one day! My servant sent me a letter saying that the citizens of Thunder City have gone crazy, and they have bought each share for 20 gold coins! Saint Sith, this is too crazy, you can't let those pieces of paper be more expensive than diamonds!"

Looking at Baron Gus's exaggerated expression and body language, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile and put down the teacup in his hand.

"I don't really care about that kind of thing... But I'm glad I can bring you a good mood today."

"Haha, I'm in a really good mood right now!" Baron Gus was so excited that his face turned red and his breathing became rapid, as if he had just run a long distance.

The servants beside him looked at him nervously, fearing that the master would faint from lack of breath.

Luo Yan looked at the baron in front of him with a smile, as if he was watching a funny comedy. At the same time, the power of his faith was silently growing amid the unstinting praise and flattery.

It's surprising.

This fellow who neglected exercise and hadn't even awakened his extraordinary powers actually had a silver soul level!

What a waste.

At this moment, a majestic voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Baron Gus, what good news makes you so happy? Tell me, and let me be happy too."

It was Archduke Edward who came in from outside.

The servants in the tea room immediately saluted the distinguished monarch, including Baron Gus, who was in high spirits. He quickly restrained his presumptuous smile and respectfully performed a noble salute.

"Your Majesty, it's the shares of Colin Mining Company! The price of each share has now risen to 20 gold coins! You may not know what this means, but to put it simply, there is a company in Thunder City that is worth 2 billion gold coins!"

When Edward first heard the number of 20 gold coins, he didn't take it seriously. Until he heard the rest, he almost choked to death on his saliva.

"Two billion gold coins?! Did you get the unit wrong?"

Looking at His Majesty with wide eyes, Baron Gus's face was filled with a confident smile and he said with a solemn oath.

"Your Majesty, I can swear to Saint Sith! Every word I said is true! If you don't believe it, you will see it when you go to Thunder City."

Edward looked at Colin, who was sitting not far away, for confirmation, hoping to get a more reliable answer from the latter.

Noticing the Grand Duke's gaze, Luo Yan smiled faintly and spoke calmly.

"Baron Gus doesn't quite understand the concept of market value, but this is roughly what it means. Currently, Colin Mining Company has only publicly issued one-tenth of its shares, equivalent to 10 million shares, and the currently recognized value of these shares is 200 million gold coins. As for the remaining shares, they have not been issued as publicly circulated tickets... After all, the funds raised so far are enough for us to do many things, and we don't need more for the time being."

"That's right! Mr. Colin put it clearly!" Baron Gus nodded quickly with a bright smile on his face.

Edward was confused for a long time, then immediately asked.

"Who owns these stocks?"

Luo Yan said with a smile.

"One third is in the hands of the citizens of Thunder City, another third is in the major banks in the port area of ​​Thunder City, and the rest are bought by merchants from other places. Their origins are varied. Some are nobles of the Kingdom of Ryan, and some are from other cities along the coast of the Whirlpool Sea."

"What about the gold? Who has the gold?" Edward hurriedly asked the question that concerned him most.

After all, that's 200 million gold coins! Equivalent to 2,000 tons of gold! Not to mention the treasury of the Principality of Campbell, even the treasury of the Kingdom of Ryan probably doesn't have that much money!

Looking at his anxious look, Luo Yan said with a smile.

"Of course, in the bank in Thunder City."

Edward finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. At least there was no large ship to transport the gold to other places.

Otherwise, the wealth accumulated by the Principality of Campbell over hundreds of years would be snatched away overnight.

But think about it.

Even if he believed from the bottom of his heart that the ordinary citizens of Thunder City were a bunch of idiots, at least Mr. Andes who worked for him was a smart man and would never let anyone cheat him out of his real money with a few pieces of paper.

Looking at Edward who instantly felt relieved, Luo Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip.

These feudal lords mostly think in a straightforward way, thinking about nothing more than land and gold.

Edward was actually smarter than them. He had realized the importance of industry, but he still had not broken through his own limitations and did not have an accurate concept of finance.

But it's not his fault.

No matter how smart a person is, it is impossible to imagine something he has never seen out of thin air. The only thing he can rely on is intuition.

That stiff smile softened at a speed visible to the naked eye, just like the snow gradually melting in the Silver Pine Forest.

Regaining his noble dignity and elegance, Edward walked over to sit opposite Luo Yan, and spoke with eager eyes.

"Mr. Colin, what are you going to do with all this money? I don't mean to pry into your privacy. I'm just curious. If it's inconvenient for you, please pretend I didn't ask."

Anyway, he is the master of this country, and he can find out by sending someone to the bank.

Luo Yan naturally knew what was written on his face, so he smiled faintly and said.

"Most of it will be used to develop the colonies on the Kao Continent. I will use the money to purchase some industrial products and ship them to the New World in exchange for resources there, such as textiles and steel tools that are in urgent need there. In addition, the money will be used for local prospecting and mining to further expand resource output, especially the search for high-value diamond mines. Not only that, I will also place an order with the shipyard of the Principality of Campbell to build the largest ocean-going trade fleet in the Whirlpool Sea, open up a route from the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea to the New World, and expand the trade volume between the two sides."

Although he was bragging, Luo Yan was not lying. He really intended to do this and had even started arranging people to do it.

The citizens of Thunder City will soon be able to see relevant news in the Thunder City Daily. He just picked out these nice words in advance, and these words happened to be exactly what Grand Duke Edward liked to hear the most.

It wasn't just Archduke Edward, Baron Gus who was standing nearby also felt his heart burning with excitement when he heard this.

Textiles and steel tools!

Although there are no iron mines in his territory, there is a lot of land, both cultivated land and uncultivated land!

If part of the land is converted into pasture to produce wool, it will surely make more money than farming!

While Baron Gus was thinking about this, Archduke Edward was also thinking of a similar idea.

But his vision is much bigger than the baron's, and he sees not only the wool industry, but also the ocean outside Thunder City.

After listening to the grand blueprint presented to him by Mr. Colin, his eyes were full of eagerness and he was excited and full of energy.

"...That's great! The wood from the Kingdom of Ryan is the best quality in the entire continent of Os! Not only that, we also have the most advanced power machinery factory. Even the Imperial Royal Shipyard has to place orders with us."

"That's exactly what I'm looking at," Luo Yan said calmly with a smile on his face, "To be honest, when I first came to Leiming City, I was shocked by the industrial heritage here, and this is also what I feel most sorry about."

"What a pity?" Edward was slightly stunned, and asked subconsciously, "Is there something that makes you dissatisfied?"

"You misunderstood. I'm not dissatisfied with anything. I just feel sorry for you."

Luo Yan shook his head slightly, looked at Archduke Edward who had a puzzled look on his face, and spoke in a voice with a hint of melancholy.

"You have the most advanced power machinery factory and abundant natural resources. According to my understanding, the flame of industry first started burning on your land. However, during the years I studied in Xuebang, I only heard of the reputation of the Imperial Royal Shipyard, but never heard of the name of the Thunder City Shipyard until I set foot on the land of the Kingdom of Ryan."

This was not his regret, but it was indeed a regret in the heart of Archduke Edward.

The latter was silent for a long time, then sighed and said.

"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, the northeastern coast of the Whirlpool Sea is too far from the New World, and the share we can get from the Empire's ocean trade is limited. And an Imperial noble like you would definitely prefer to invest in the Empire's ports. After all, we are just a friendly country to you."

Luo Yan shook his head and continued.

"I don't think this is the core reason. The nobles of the empire are not averse to investing in friendly countries. We are all servants of Saint Sith, and we should be equal."

Edward asked curiously.

"Oh? Then why do you think that is the reason?"

Luo Yan smiled and said.

"Based on my humble observations during my study tour, I found that in all territories where people were forced to rely on the land for a living, most of them were struggling to make ends meet. Often a large piece of land could only support one or two wealthy people. On the contrary, in city-states that were not dependent on the land, most of them lived well. Often a whole street was filled with wealthy people wearing brocade and silk."

Edward thought for a long time and said.

"It does exist, but I think it's a stretch to link people's poverty to land."

"Your Majesty, you misunderstood. I am not saying that the reason people are poor is because of the land," Luo Yan shook his head slightly and continued, "What I want to say is that if the same person is a subsistence farmer, what he produces throughout the year may only be enough to feed himself, and then he will waste the rest of his time in the tavern, listening to adventurers bragging. But if he is a citizen of Thunder City, the value of his production can not only meet his own food and clothing, but also support one-third of professional soldiers."

"If we could free the peasants from their idle lives in the fields and drive them from the fields to the factories on the outskirts of the city, you can imagine what a terrible force this would be. They would be as cheap as subsistence farmers, but would only consume products that were barely enough to feed themselves, and then they would produce huge wealth for your duchy."

"The artisans of the empire will not be your opponents at all. Even the poor people in the colonies cannot. After all, since they are willing to go out to sea by ship, it means that they still have a little pursuit in life. It is difficult for us to convince them to give up the butter on their bread for the glory of the Colin family. But those tenant farmers, I bet most of them don't even know what butter is, because the tenant farmers of the empire are the same. They will become an invincible army, led by those factory owners, sweeping the entire market of the empire for you!"

"I believe that by then, you will no longer complain that the Empire has taken up too much of the ocean trade. Instead, you will be grateful to the Emperor for his wise decision that has brought you a godsend opportunity. After all, we use the same currency and are in the same market, which is equivalent to being completely defenseless against you. You can siphon off the wealth of the entire Whirlpool Sea to your heart's content."

"As long as you are willing to take the lead and make a small change."

Looking at the blueprint slowly unfolding before him, Edward couldn't help but hold his breath.

If someone else told him the same thing, he probably wouldn't take it to heart, but after all, this person was Mr. Colin, whose name he had long heard of.

Even for the sake of 200 million gold coins, he had to carefully consider the weight of these words.

That may be true.

At least it's worth a listen.

"So Mr. Colin...what specific changes are you talking about? We can't just drive those people into the city."

"That's too crude," Luo Yan shook his head and said with a smile, "We have a more elegant way, for example... you can amend the land tax law and change the clause that the nominal owner pays the tax to the actual user."

Edward said, shaking his head.

"It's meaningless. The tenant farmers don't have any money in their pockets, and in the end the nobles have to bear the consequences."

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Although he looked down on those peasants from the bottom of his heart, it did not mean that he did not understand them.

On the contrary, he not only understood them, but also knew them so well that he even knew how many coins they had in their pockets.

Luo Yan had already guessed that he would say that, so he continued with a smile.

"So this small change won't cause anyone to object, right? Because it won't make any difference to the nobles who actually use the land."

Edward looked interested.

"And then? You certainly won't do anything meaningless."

"Yes," Luo Yan nodded with a smile and continued happily, "The first bill is just to pave the way for what we are going to do next. Since the people who pay taxes are the users of the land, then we will allow the nobles to voluntarily give up this obligation. For example, the nobles can sell the actual use rights of the land while retaining their titles, and the laws of the duchy will guarantee the rights of the actual users and will not be infringed by the owners."

When he heard this, Edward fell into deep thought.

If the previous law was just a minor one, then this law has begun to touch the soul of the Principality of Campbell.

In most countries in the continent of Os, land is tied to titles.

The reason why the citizens of Thunder City can own their own properties is actually just because they are borrowing the land from the royal family.

It is for this reason that the city has the position of governor, whose status is equivalent to that of the royal butler.

In these lands, although the royal authority is unlimited, it is still too far away from ordinary people. For example, Edward himself would ask the Andes family for help even if he was short of money. It is impossible for him to send tax collectors to knock on every door.

But it is different for the nobles. Their titles have unlimited power in legal terms, and it is impossible for the royal family to establish an additional property right that overrides the unlimited power.

If he did that, it would end up in a mess.

Those nobles would sell their land to wealthy businessmen like the Andes family without hesitation, and then take back their original promises in the name of Saint Sissis, or attach all kinds of unreasonable terms and blackmail those rich people.

In the end, he is the only one who loses his dignity.

But of course Edward couldn't say that.

After thinking for a moment, he tapped the table with his index finger and spoke cryptically.

"This will affect the interests of the nobles."

Luo Yan nodded slightly, acknowledging his concerns, but put forward a different opinion.

"Generally speaking, yes, but not for the Principality of Campbell. For example, an outstanding noble like Baron Gus can see the benefits of money and is not limited to land. The most important thing is that the accumulation of hundreds of years in Thunder City and the foundation of the royal family's operation on this land have enabled him to no longer rely on the land."

"What we have to do is to give them a chance to free themselves from traditional obligations while retaining their honor."

In the traditional feudal system, the nobles had the obligation to provide livelihood security for the peasants, which did not conflict with their exploitation, just as humans had the obligation to support sheep if they wanted to eat meat.

And breaking this ancient contract is the first step he has to take.

The sheep of the Duchy of Campbell will become man-eating animals.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Colin actually praised him in front of the Grand Duke. Baron Gus, who was originally confused, suddenly showed a happy expression on his face, as if he understood it.

Edward didn't understand at first, but after thinking for a moment, a hint of enlightenment gradually appeared in his eyes.

I see.

Even the rural nobles with vision knew where the real benefits were. How could merchants like the Andes family, who had been doing business for generations, not know? Archduke Edward's sister wanted to build a refugee camp outside Leiming City, but she had a hard time with the land issue, not to mention that they had no army.

They were not stupid, and were even very smart. They naturally knew that the royal majesty might not work after they went to the countryside, so they would never rent the land from the nobles, and they could not make money from those lands anyway.

There are only two types of people who rent.

One is the fool who dreams of returning to the countryside to live a pastoral life, and the other is the merchant kept by the nobles themselves.

The former's death is not a pity, but the latter is the nobles' own business.

In this way, no one's interests would be harmed. Instead, the nobles' feudal obligations were freed from the land, allowing them to more actively occupy the unclaimed land under their titles and expel the self-cultivating farmers living on it.

After a brief period of chaos, a new order will be formed on the land of the Principality of Campbell.

And Thunder City will enjoy unlimited prosperity!

The most important thing is that the land there belongs to the royal family! Edward felt his palms getting slightly hot, and even sweated from nervousness.

Just right!

He was just worried about not finding an opportunity to weaken those disobedient nobles under his command, and then this knife was handed to him! Saint Sis! This respected Mr. Colin even considered the honor of the nobles who troubled him the most!

Separating the right to own from the right to use is a genius idea!

He could not help thinking that it was Saint Six who saw his piety and sent this distinguished gentleman to punish those greedy guys.

"I roughly understand what you mean... As long as we can let the nobles of the Principality of Campbell share the dividends of reform, will they actively cooperate with us to push their tenant farmers to the city?"

Looking at Archduke Edward who had finally come to his senses, Luo Yan smiled and nodded.

"That's right."

He enjoyed chatting with smart people, which was why he was not very willing to talk to Baron Gus for long.

That guy's mouth is full of gold coins, and he can't see what's behind the coins.

But it is easiest to bribe such people.

Like when he bribed this guy, he just stared into his eyes and patted him on the shoulder.

Edward coughed, motioned to the servant next to him to hand him a towel, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After struggling for a long time, he looked at Luo Yan and said solemnly.

"I wonder if the Empire does the same?"

Luo Yan laughed when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, the empire is so large that even this land is named after it. Even the land beneath my feet is part of the empire... Which part of the empire are you referring to? I don't know about the Old World, but in the Principality of Kolin, we do this."

As he said this, Luo Yan took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

He actually didn't know what the Principality of Colin was like, and he had never been there.

But that place is hell, and I'm sure the Grand Duke, who is far away on the northeastern shore of the Whirlpool Sea, has never been there...

Besides, he bet the humans there had it worse, since it was a land of vampires after all.

Just as he expected, Grand Duke Edward was finally moved...even though His Majesty concealed it well.

He waved his hands, pinched his eyebrows, and looked tired.

"...This matter is too big for us. I need to discuss it with my staff."

Looking at Archduke Edward who was trying to cover up his mistake, Luo Yan smiled and nodded.

"Of course, that's my suggestion too. We're just drinking tea and chatting today. I would feel uneasy if I made you change your mind because of my opinion."

After a pause, he continued.

"You are the master of this principality, and I am just your guest."

That being said, Luo Yan could even guess who he was planning to discuss it with, none other than the person who had presented the diamond to his crown.

And that guy had already been bribed by him.

(End of this chapter)